Article from The Bennet, written by Cameron Huggins '26
The students of Benedictine High School have elected Braylon Rose the 74th Mr. Benedictine. He was chosen from a list of four seniors selected by the class. The other finalists include Jeremy Ade, Luca Bucci, Lucas Dolan and Michael Grobelny.
Mr. Benedictine is considered the highest award a student can receive during his career at Benedictine. To be a Mr. Benedictine finalist, a senior must meet certain criteria, involving academics, extracurriculars and good behavior.
The student body then votes for one of the five finalists whom they believe best exemplifies the values of a man of Benedictine. The student body voted May 8 and 11.
Braylon is from Maple Heights. While attending Breakthrough Schools Woodland Hills Campus, he visited Benedictine in eighth grade and chose the school after hearing numerous good things about Benedictine.
He partakes in many extracurricular activities including the weightlifting and video game clubs and is a member of the National Honor Society.
He serves as a leader on campus as a varsity football captain and the vice president of the Black Cultural Organization. He became a varsity starter as a sophomore and a captain as a senior. Following this year’s season, he earned the Chuck Noll Award for the highest grade point average on the team.
Finalist Jeremy Ade lives in Garfield Heights with his parents, sister, and brother Zack, class of 2027. He was a student at St. Benedict Catholic School from second to eighth grade.
While in middle school, Jeremy played hockey for the Garfield Bulldogs, coached by Benedictine alum Frank Malec ’06. With a familiarity about St. Benedict from his school and an idea of what a man of Benedictine is, his decision to attend Benedictine “became much simpler.”
Hockey continued to play a pivotal role in Jeremy’s Benedictine career as he played the sport for all four years of high school, becoming a team captain during his senior year.
In addition to hockey, he has played football, baseball and track. He has been a member of the engineering club, culinary club, spikeball club and campus ministry. He served as the president of National Honor Society and was a member of student council. Jeremy plans to attend the University of Dayton and major in mechanical engineering.
The third finalist is the Parma native Luca Bucci. He attended Incarnate Word Academy. He comes from a long line of Benedictine alumni, including Louis Bucci ’66, Ralph and Nick Bucci ’68, Robert Wolfrom ’74, Mike Bucci ’76 and Louis M. Bucci ’00. Luca is the first from this line to be considered for Mr. Benedictine.
Throughout his Benedictine career, Luca has been a varsity player and captain of both the golf and hockey teams. During his senior year, he was named third team All-Northeast Ohio for hockey according to the News Herald. In addition to sports, he was a member of the Benedictine sports broadcasting network.
Luca was a member of National Honor Society, engineering, culinary, spikeball and Latin Clubs. He co-founded the first Benedictine podcast, WBHS. During his senior year, he was an editor of The Bennet. Luca will attend Denison University, where he will major in economics and continue to play hockey.
The fourth finalist is Lucas Dolan. Lucas is from Chesterland and graduated from Notre Dame Elementary in Chardon.
Lucas has three brothers. All three are or will be affiliated with Benedictine. His brothers are Jake Dolan, the 71st Mr. Benedictine and class of ’23, Gabe Dolan ’27, and Simon Dolan, an incoming freshman in the class of ’30.
Lucas has led several student organizations, including student council president, Italian Heritage Club president, American Red Cross co-president and National Honor Society vice president. He is also involved in varsity wrestling, media production, ultimate frisbee and sports media.
Lucas will attend The Ohio State University in the fall and will major in business.
The final finalist is Michael Grobelny of Sagamore Hills. He is the youngest of three siblings and son of Chris and Maria. He attended St. Barnabas Grade School in Northfield. Michael is a third generation man of Benedictine. His grandfather Ronald Grobelny ’59, uncle Kevin Grobelny ’88 and father Christopher Grobelny ’89 are all alumni.
Michael has been a varsity baseball player throughout the entirety of his high school career. In addition to baseball, Michael ran cross country and played freshman football but became a team manager his sophomore year.
Michael is very active within the school, being on student council and serving as treasurer of the National Honor Society and the Italian Heritage Club. He is a Key Club officer and sports writer for The Bennet.
He co-founded the school’s spikeball club during his sophomore year. The seniors narrowed down a list of eligible seniors given to them by counseling and administration to five April 28.
